Impatiens plant named Allegro

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Impatiens plant named Allegro, characterized by its double-flower form having ten petals, white flower color, flower diameter of 5.5 to 6.0 cm, yellow-green pedicels, five leaves in a whorl, relatively short dark green leaves with cream variegation around the midrib, continuously flowering, highly self-branching and floriferous habit, ability to tolerate both high and low temperatures, and its adaptability to production in 10 cm up to 154-25 cm pots.

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive cultivar ofImpatiens plant, botanically known as Impatiens, commercially known asNew Guinea Impatiens, and known by the cultivar name Allegro.

The new culture was developed in a controlled breeding program conductedby the inventor Lyndon W. Drewlow in Ashtabula, Ohio. Allegro wascreated by crossing Mikkelsen Seedling No. 90-118-2 (seed parent) withMikkelsen Seedling No. 90-106-5 (pollen parent). Both parents areproprietary cultivars used in the breeding program.

Asexual reproduction by terminal or stem cuttings, carried out by orunder the supervision of the inventor at Ashtabula, Ohio, has shown thatthe unique features of this new impatiens are stabilized and arereproduced true to type in successive propagations.

The following combination of characteristics distinguish the newimpatiens from both its parent varieties and other cultivated impatiensof this type known and used in the floriculture industry. Thedescription includes reference to comparison cultivars Innocence,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,789 and Minuet, disclosed in apending application of the inventor.

1. Allegro is a representative of an entirely new class of New Guineaimpatiens that have ten flower petals, double the number of petals ofthe five petal single-flower types such as Innocence. Minuet is anothercultivar in the double-flowered group.

2. Allegro has a white flower with a slight cream cast while Innocencehas an entirely white flower.

3. Allegro has a flower diameter of 5.5 to 6.0 cm, similar to Minuet butlarger than the 5.0 to 5.5 cm flower diameter of Innocence.

4. Both Allegro and Innocence have dark green leaves with creamvariegation around the midrib of leaves, with the basal end of leafbeing the most variegated. Minuet has a solid green leaf.

5. The upper leaf surface of Allegro is moderately hirsute while bothMinuet and Innocence have a glabrous upper leaf surface.

6. Allegro has a leaf length of 7.0 to 8.0 cm, much shorter than theleaf lengthss of Innocence (11.0 to 12.0 cm) and Minuet (10.0 to 11.0cm). All three are similar in width at 3.0 to 3.5 cm.

7. Allegro is 5 to 7 days later to bloom than Innocence as it takes thedouble flower with ten petals longer to develop and open than the fivepetals of the single-flowered Innocence. Allegro is similar in bloomdate to Minuet.

8. The standard petal of the lower whorl and the standard-like petal ofthe upper whorl of petals overlap with the wing petals in the flowers ofMinuet and Allegro to form a round flower, whereas in Innocence there isa gap between the standard petal and the wing petals which results in along narrow flower.

9. Allegro has yellow-green flower pedicels, while Innocence has a lightpinkish cast to the pedicels and Minuet has green flower pedicels.

10. Allegro has the shortest ciliate on leaf margins, with Innocencehaving the longest and Minuet intermediate.

In the photographic drawings, the color photo at the top illustrates inperspective view the overall appearance of Allegro, with the colorsbeing as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in a colorreproduction of this type. The color photo was taken on Sep. 24, 1993under natural light under 40% saran in a shaded glass greenhouse inAshtabula, Ohio on a sunny day. The black and white photo on the bottomshows three (3) views of a typical flower of the new cultivar.

The following is a detailed description of my new cultivar, based onplants produced in greenhouses in Ashtabula, Ohio during the summerseason of the year. Plants were grown in 15 cm pots and measurementswere taken 18 weeks after rooted cuttings were planted. Heightmeasurements were taken from the soil line of the container. The plantswere grown at 65°-68° F. night temperatures under 3000-4000 foot candlesof light, and with 250 ppm nitrogen, 75 ppm potassium, and 250 ppmphosphorous nutritional levels, with trace elements added. Habit ofgrowth, foliage coloration, leaf variegation, size of leaves and flowersize will be influenced by nutritional and environmental conditions,without, however, any variance in the genotype.

Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society ColourChart except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance areused.

Parentage: A controlled cross between female parent Mikkelsen SeedlingNo. 90-118-2 and male parent Mikkelsen Seedling 90-106-5.

Propagation:

(A) Type cutting.--Stem tip is 15 mm long and will develop 4 to 5 cmlong in 18 to 21 days.

(B) Time to root.--8-10 days at 23° C. summer; 10-12 days at 20° C.winter.

(C) Rooting habit.--Heavy, fibrous.

Plant description:

(A) Form and habit of growth.--Mounded, dense, hightly self-branched;intermediate in height; flowering over the leaf canopy; continuousflowering, vigorous growing herb.

(B) Foliage description.--Deep green with yellow-green midrib andcream-colored variegation around midrib, approximately two-thirds theway up the leaf; variegation is greater with higher light levels. (1)Size: 7 to 8 cm long and 3.0 to 3.5 cm wide for average mature leaf. (2)Shape: Lanceolate to oval with acuminate apex and acute base. (3)Texture: Upper surface moderately hirsute and lower surface is glabrous.(4) Margin: Finely serrated with fine ciliate. (5) Color: Young foliage,top side is 146A variegated with 151A, under side is 146B; Maturefoliage, top side is 147A variegated with 160B, under side is between147B and 147C. (6) Veination: Pinnate, green in color.

Flowering description:

(A) Flowering habits.--Flowers continuously from leaf whorl in aprogrssively orderly manner with one flower per leaf axil. When the lastflower in a leaf whorl opens the first flowers in the leaf whorl abovestarts to open. It takes 5 to 7 days for a mature bud to fully open andthe flower may last two weeks or longer depending on environment.

(B) Natural flowering season.--Indeterminant and continuous; quantity offlowering increases with increasing levels of light.

(C) Flower buds.--Ellipsoidal, flowers perfect; greenish-yellow incolor; 4.5 cm long spur with green tip on mature bud with throat behindthe ovary and originating from the major sepal.

(D) Flowers borne.--On individual yellow-green pedicels 3.5 cm long froma whorl of usually five leaves. Flowering is progresive around the whorlas buds and leaves develop with one flower per leaf axil being normal.

(E) Quantity of flowers.--Highly floriferous because of self-branchingnature of plant, long-lasting flowers, and full appearance of doubleflowers.

(F) Diameter of flower.--5.5 to 6.0 cm.

(G) Petals.--(1) Shape: Heart, keel of bottom whorl of petals islargest. (2) Color: Top side in summer when opening is 155D, under sideis 155D except area of 144D around midrib of standard petal. (3) Numberof petals: Ten. (4) Size of petals: Standard: Only one true standard inlower whorl; corresponding petal in upper whorl has both standard andkeel characteristics. Wings: Two sets of wing petals, with one petalsmaller than other in each set. Keel: Two sets of keel petals, with eachpetal in a set being of equal size.

(H) Reproductive organs.--(1) Stamens: Five (5) in number. (a) Anther:Hooded shape; color is white. (b) Pollen color: White. (2) Pistils: (a)Stigma shape: Five (5), segmented column; color is whitish green. (b)Style color: Whitish green. (c) Ovaries: Five (5) in number; size is 6mm when mature; color is green.

Disease resistance: No significant insect or disease problems noted todate.

OTHER IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS

1. Self-branching characteristic, mounded habit, and intermediate heightmake Allegro suitable for 10 cm pot production, but cultivar is vigorousenough for 15 and 25 cm pot production as well.

2. Allegro can withstand both high temperatures and sunlight as well aslow temperatures (40° to 50° F.), thus, extending the outside growingseason and locating the cultivar can be planted.

3. The ten flower petals result in a much fuller looking flower ascompared to the normal five petals. Thus, a double-flowered plant havingthe same number of flowers as a single-flowered plant will besubstantially more colorful.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Impatiens plant namedAllegro, as illustrated and described.